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Audi R18 e-tron quattro preparing for 2014 Le Man

In pursuit of its third Le Mans title, Audi has been testing out the latest model in its arsenal - the R18 e-tron quattro.

With the rules for next year's competition changing, in order to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency, the vehicle has received changes from front to back.

Designed from scratch, the car certainly looks similar to previous event winning models, but it's a whole new beast entirely.

According to Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi Motorsport, the car embodies a whole new generation of Le Mans prototype vehicles. The model is intended to deliver fast lap times but using substantially less energy.

"Making more out of less: a forward-thinking approach,” is how Dr Ullrich described it.

The car remains low to the floor, with high wheel arches and globular driver's cabin, giving it an aggressive demeanour.

It features quality hybrid technology, such as energy recovery systems and storage facilities for kinetic energy to be used at a later time.

Powering the car in the most part is a V6 TDI mid-engine, which sends the drive to the rear wheels.

With time left before the Le Mans event in 2014, it's likely that Audi will make more changes to the car before it hits the track.